Purpose

This bill requires postsecondary institutions to clearly inform students about the deadline to receive a full tuition refund if they drop a course during the add/drop period. It aims to make refund timelines easy to find and understand so students can make informed course decisions.

Main provisions

• Additions to law:
  • Establishes a new statutory section (136A.1469) about notice of tuition refund deadlines during the add/drop period.
• Definitions:
  • add/drop period: the start of an academic term when a student can add or drop courses without being marked withdrawn.
  • deadline: the specific date and time by which a student must act to receive a full tuition refund.
• Applicability:
  • Applies to public institutions run by the Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities.
  • Applies to private postsecondary institutions with in-person campus offerings in Minnesota that participate in Title IV federal student aid.
  • The University of Minnesota Board of Regents is requested to comply with this section.
• Notice requirements:
  • Institutions must disclose the deadline to receive a full tuition refund if a student drops a course during the add/drop period.
  • Disclosures must be:
  • placed in a conspicuous location on the institution’s website in bold type;
  • provided through direct written communication before the add/drop period begins; and
  • included in the student handbook or academic catalog.
• Internal complaints and appeals:
  • Institutions must create a process for students to file complaints if they believe the notice requirements were not followed, including an internal review and investigation.
  • Students must first submit complaints to the institution.
  • If a student disagrees with the institution’s finding of compliance, they may appeal to the Office of Higher Education using the process described in section 136A.8295.

Significant changes to existing law

• Creates a new mandatory notice requirement about tuition refund deadlines during the add/drop period for certain Minnesota postsecondary institutions.
• Requires a formal, publicly accessible notice pathway (website, direct written communication, and student handbook/catalog) to ensure students know the refund deadline.
• Adds an internal complaints mechanism and an external appeal option to the Office of Higher Education for enforcement and oversight.
• Extends compliance expectations to both state university systems and eligible private institutions, including those with Title IV participation; the University of Minnesota’s Board of Regents is specifically asked to comply.

Implementation considerations

• Institutions will need to review and update their websites, communications, and catalogs to ensure bolded, conspicuous notice is present before add/drop periods.
• Schools must establish or refine internal complaint procedures and align them with the Office of Higher Education’s appeal process.

Relation to existing law

• This creates a new section within Minnesota Statutes chapters related to higher education (136A.1469) and connects with existing complaint/appeal processes (136A.8295) for enforcement.

Relevant Terms add/drop period deadline full tuition refund tuition refund deadline conspicuous location bold type institution’s website direct written communication student handbook academic catalog internal complaints appeal Office of Higher Education 136A.8295 136A.1469 Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board of Regents of the University of Minnesota Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 private postsecondary institutions in-person courses on a campus located in Minnesota eligible institutions Minnesota Statutes chapter 136A